On the third day of the trial at Sheffield Crown Court, the jury listened to recorded phonecalls of the 61-year-old South African staff nurse telling a doctor that Elsie Skelton had seen a doctor more recently than was the case, so the police would not be called.

Coworker Phyllis Mangowa, who took over from Mtetwa after the shift in question at Layden Court Nursing Home last October, said the suspect told her a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form had been filled in for 86-year-old Mrs Skelton, who suffered from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and high blood pressure.

"Thakane said it was a sudden death and expected, because she had opened Elsie's care plan and it said 'do not resuscitate'," said staff nurse Mrs Mangowa.

"I said I didn't think it was expected because the DNR form hadn't been signed by the doctor. Elsie was unable to do anything for herself, but despite that she was in a stable condition."

"I told Thakane it was going to be a coroner's case because Elsie had last seen the doctor in July."

DNR documents are instructed by relatives and approved by GPs. They order carers not to perform CPR in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest.

David Hutton, who was care home manager, told the court DNRs are done on an individual basis and accounted for about 10 per cent of high dependency patients.

"The decision is taken in the best interests of the resident," he said. "A general nurse, who later left, had started the process with Elsie, but she wasn't expected to die in the near future."

"There was no particular rush to get this through. It's all about dignity and dying with dignity."

The police are called where the death is unexpected, or where the deceased has not seen their regular doctor in 14 days.

Before her shift ended on the morning of Tuesday 16th October, Mtetwa called healthcare providers Primecare to ask for a doctor to come and register the death. The conversation was played to the jury on Wednesday afternoon.

Home records indicate it was was at least two months since Mrs Skelton had seen her GP, but when asked on the phone, Mtetwa replied: "Yes, I think she's seen him in the last 14 days for a rash on her neck."

Mtetwa denies murder. The trial continues.